


Friends

by thebadwolf



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Bullying, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, M/M, Teenage Drama, Teenage Rebellion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-10-17 16:50:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17564306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebadwolf/pseuds/thebadwolf
Summary: Teenage John starts attending a new school where he meets Sherlock Holmes. The two have a complicated relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

This is set in modern times. Sherlock is 14 and John is 16. I have the proper tags set but I would like to say again that this story contains bullying. I know that can really bother people so please don’t read unless you can handle it.

 

___

  
  


John Watson didn’t know what to think of his new school. He’d done so well during his last school year that he’d been able to transfer to a school for advanced students. Luckily, the transfer had come with a full scholarship. There was no way his parents could afford the school on their paychecks.

 

It was so different from his last school. It seemed most of the other children were interested in studying instead of just “hanging out”. No one had bothered to even say “hello” to John. Perhaps this new school would be a good thing. His last school had been a breeding ground for troublemakers. This didn’t seem like a place where that kind of behavior would be allowed.

 

It was a full week before he ran into his first problem teenager. He was cutting behind the gym on his way to lunch when he spotted two teenage boys standing behind the large building They were both smoking cigarettes and engaged in conversation.

 

John quickly started to turn to go the other way. There was no way he wanted to get caught with kids that were smoking. His mother would kill him if he got in trouble.

 

“Hey kid!” one of the boys called as he turned his back.

 

John stopped walking and turned his head. He noticed the taller one was smirking at him. The shorter boy poked the taller one in the side.

 

“You’re new,” the taller kid said puffing on his cigarette. “What’s your name?”

 

“John Watson,” he said turning to face the pair.

 

“Leave him alone Sherlock,” the other boy said.

 

“Never mind Victor here. Want a smoke?” Sherlock said offering the cigarette to John.

 

“No,” John said shaking his head. “I don’t smoke.”

 

“Just go,” Victor said.

 

“Don’t be such a dork,” the taller boy asked turned his attention on his friend. “John has  the right to make his own choices.”

 

Victor seemed desperate that he got out of there. He didn’t come over as aggressive. In fact, he seemed scared and worried for him. John decided to take his chance and go before Sherlock did or said anything else. He quickly hurried off to his class while Victor had his friend’s attention.

 

__

 

Sherlock watched with interest as he watched John get picked up for school by his mother. The woman fussed over the young boy as she took his backpack from him. Sherlock could hear her asking about his day. She really seemed to interested in his activities.

 

That seemed a bit strange to Sherlock. He couldn’t remember the last time either one of his parents had picked him up from school. His own mother made sure he had breakfast each morning and usually joined him for dinner. Despite the fact she didn’t work she always seemed busy. Mrs. Holmes often devoted herself to doing work in the community. It was a nice effort but sometimes she forgot about her responsibilities in her own home.

 

His father would join them when he was home. His business trips often came him away for weeks. Sherlock knew they cared but they just always seemed too busy for him. Victor was in the same spot. That was the one thing that brought them together.

 

A wave of jealousy washed over him as he watched John get into the car with his mother.  Just another brat with a life he would never have.


	2. Chapter 2

John made sure to avoid Sherlock after their encounter. Despite the fact, nothing had really happened his encounter with the younger boy had made him feel uneasy. Even Sherlock’s friend had seemed very nervous.

 

Why was he was put off by him? John could easily take the annoying boy. Perhaps it was really his own mother he was afraid of. She would kill him if he got into a fight with another kid. Not to mention it might put his scholarship in jeopardy. He wished he had a friend to hang out with. It would make him feel less nervous.

 

Luckily since the boy was younger than him they didn’t have any of the classes together. That made it easier for John to avoid him. He was on his way to speak to a history teacher about a question on his homework when he bumped into Sherlock.

 

The troublemaker was without his friend. Sherlock raised an eyebrow and stared down at the nervous looking John.  He glanced over his shoulder and found the hallway empty. Most of the children were on their way to lunch.

 

“Where you headed?” Sherlock asked taking a step closer to John.

 

“To see my teacher,” John said trying to hide his nervousness.

 

John really wasn’t looking for a fight. He just wanted to go see his teacher. Why wouldn’t Sherlock just go away? Why had he decided John would make a good target? 

 

“Mind me holding you up a bit?” Sherlock asked as he slowly backed John into a wall of lockers.

 

“What do you want?” the older boy asked. “I haven’t done anything to you.”

 

“I didn’t say you had,” Sherlock snorted. “I’m just trying to get to know the new kid.”

 

“Can you please back up?” John asked his voice starting to shake. “I would feel better if you gave me a little room.”

 

That seemed to be what pushed Sherlock over the edge. He reached out and shoved John into the lockers hard. The boy let out a gasp of pain as his back came into contact with the metal doors. He slid down the wall and onto the floor.

 

“I’ll give you just what I want. No one tells me what to do.” Sherlock said. “I suggest you watch your mouth around me.”

 

John was delighted when he heard Sherlock walking away. With a grunt of pain, he slowly climbed to his feet. His back hurt a bit from the impact but he wasn’t that bad. He held his backpack close his body as he continued to walk to his teacher's office. Part of him wanted to talk to his teacher about what had happened but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. If Sherlock found out he had told on him he would just be meaner to him. He decided to just let it go. Maybe Sherlock would just leave him alone. 

 

\--

 

Victor frowned as he looked over his shoulder. He didn’t like what they were doing. There was no way two fourteen-year-olds should be in that part of town.

 

He always tagged along with Sherlock anytime he went to see his dealer. Sometimes his dealer, Mr. Hudson, could be a real jerk and Victor wanted to be there in case they needed to call for help. The rundown apartment made Victor feel uneasy but there was no way he was going to let Sherlock go there on his own. He would never give himself if something happened to him. 

 

Sherlock never let him into Mr. Hudson’s apartment. He always made stand in the hallway outside the door. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth as the apartment door opened. His friend walked out looking rather refreshed. Sherlock was moving a bit slow but seemed to be just fine. 

 

“Come on,” Sherlock said before Victor could form words.

 

Sherlock knew what Victor was going to say. His friend was constantly begging him to get help. Victor knew what the drugs were doing to him and he was scared one of these days he was going to overdose. Sherlock knew that wasn’t going to happen. He was far too careful to let anything like that happen.

 

“Sherlock you know your mother-” Victor started.

 

“My mother will not know about this,” Sherlock snapped.

 

Victor felt a wave of fear flow through him. Sherlock was a bit bigger than him and he knew he could beat him up if he wanted.

 

“Of course not,” Vic said. “Don’t worry man. You know I’m not going to tell her.”

 

“Damn straight,” Sherlock said with a loud grunt. “Let’s get out here.”

  
Victor watched as his friend turned and headed out of the dilapidated apartment building.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few weeks were a living hell for John. He avoided Sherlock as much as he could but he always seemed to run into him. It was almost as if Sherlock had found out he was class schedule and was chasing him down. He was never physically aggressive when Victor was around but was still demeaning. 

 

After a short time, John asked his mother to stop picking him up and he started taking public transportation home. His mother was a bit disappointed. She had worked nights the last few years and was trying to spend time with him every time she got. 

 

John was always so upset after school. It wasn’t unusual for him to go into the nearby park and cry.  He didn’t want his mother to see him with a tearful face. She would want to know what was wrong and try to help. Of course, he knew getting her involved would just make things worse. 

 

Why was he taking this? John could easily beat that snorty kid up. He wanted to take that kid and slam him into a locker. That would teach him but it would also mean he would be in a lot of trouble. Would it be worth it? Yes. It would be. 

 

John picked up his backup as he cleared the tears from his eyes. One of these days he was going to put that boy in his place. 

__

John knew something was just weird about Sherlock. He’d been acting rather nervous when he’d run into him on the way out of school. Normally, Sherlock didn’t miss a chance to bully him. So it was odd when he darted past him without a word.  He watched as Sherlock quickly ran into the direction of the park. 

 

He needed to see what was going on with Sherlock. Something was clearly up with the boy. The sixteen-year-old quickly ran across the parking lot and into the park. 

 

As he walked into the clearing he caught a glance of Sherlock disappearing down an overgrown path. He had no idea why he was following Sherlock. He just had a feeling that something was wrong with him.

 

John walked along the path until he came to an old maintenance building that didn’t look like it had been used in ages. A layer of dust covered the windows. The sound of someone walking around inside the building broke the silence around him. He couldn't resist the urge to look through one of the cracked windows.

 

Through the dust, he could see Sherlock sitting on an upside down bucket. The younger boy had a plastic tray in front of him and John could clearly see an off white line of powder on the tray. Sherlock pulled out a straw and began to snort the powder off the tray. Once the power was inhaled, he dropped the straw to the tray and sniffed in hard. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wooden wall of the shed.  

 

What the hell was he taking? If Sherlock was using drugs that would explain why he was in such a rush to get away from the school.

 

John felt a wave of horror as his mobile beeped. He quickly dropped away from the window. 

 

The door to the shed opened and an angry looking Sherlock was standing in the doorway. John noticed he was a little unsure on his feet and was moving a bit slowly. 

 

“What are you doing?” Sherlock snapped when he spotted John kneeling next to the building.

 

“I should be asking you that,” John said standing up.

 

“This isn’t your business,” he said leaning against the shed. 

 

Sherlock was trying to support himself with the wall of the building but he was struggling. After only a moment he dropped to his knees. John quickly rushed to his side. He had never actually seen someone do drugs before but Sherlock didn’t look good. It looked like the boy was on the edge of passing out.

 

“Get away,” Sherlock said trying to push him away. “I’m fine. Get lost!”

 

“I’m trying to help!” John shouted. 

 

“I don’t…” Sherlock started to shout but couldn’t. His voice dyed off mid-sentence and he began to pant.

 

John didn’t like Sherlock but he didn’t think it was right to leave him there like that.

 

“Why do you care about me?” the younger boy asked looking up with curious eyes. 

 

John let out a long sigh as he pondered that question. Why did he care so much about someone who had caused him so much pain?

 

“You might be a bully but I’m not,” he explained. “I don’t something to help to you because you got high out here by yourself.”

 

“Just go,” Sherlock ordered. “I’m fine. I can take care of myself.”

 

John decided it was best to leave Sherlock alone. Part of him thought it was rather dangerous to leave him alone while he was high. Yet, it was clear that he didn’t want his help.

 

“Fine,” he said shaking his head. “Kill yourself with drugs and see if I care.”

 

Without another word, John walked away leaving Sherlock alone on the ground. The fourteen year old closed his eyes fully and relaxed as the full effect of the drug took over him. For a moment the world around him slowed and his mind was able to rest. 

__

 

John felt conflicted about what he should do. Wasn’t he supposed to tell someone about Sherlock’s drug use? If he was addicted to something then he needed help. Maybe that was why he was so mean. 

 

In the end, he decided to let it go. Sherlock wasn’t his friend and didn’t deserve to have John worry about his health. To his surprise, Sherlock left him alone for a few days. He was just starting to think Sherlock was over picking on him. 

 

That hope was quickly killed. John was sitting by himself in the courtyard eating his lunch when Sherlock walked up to him. His heart jumped a bit when he saw Victor wasn’t with him. That meant he was in for a rough time. He looked at his half eaten sandwich in his hands. Maybe if he ignored him he would go away.

 

“Did you tell anyone about the other day?” Sherlock demanded.

 

Sherlock was worried that John would run to a teacher about what he had seen. That was the last thing he wanted. He didn't need anyone finding out about his little habit. 

 

“No,” John quickly answered. 

 

“You better not,” he demanded getting right in his face. “Dork.”

 

Sherlock reached his hand out and wrapped his long fingers around his half eaten sandwich. John growled pulling his sandwich out of his grasp. He was sick of Sherlock pushing him around. He just wanted to eat.

 

“Leave me alone,” John said. “I just want to eat my lunch. I’m not doing anything to you.”

 

John let out a gasp as Sherlock pushed him hard. He fell off the bench and onto the ground. He let out a groan as he pulled himself to his feet. Rage was spreading through him. Why did Sherlock have to be such a jerk?

 

The younger boy was standing next to the bench with his arms folded over his chest. John didn’t even think. He just wanted to beat the crap out of him. He lunged at Sherlock knocking him to the ground. 

 

Sherlock let out a cry of pain as he was knocked to the cement covered ground. John’s attack had surprised the hell out of him. He had never expected the boy to fight back. The older boy seemed like such a pushover. 

 

“Get off!” he screamed punching John in the shoulder.

 

John’t didn’t even pause as he punched Sherlock in the face. He let out a cry of pain as he felt the first smash into his cheek. All the build up rage flew out of him as he punched Sherlock in the chest. A bone-chilling scream filled the air as Sherlock was overcome with pain.  He could have sworn he heard a bone crack.

 

“Fight!” someone was shouting. “Someone is beating up Sherlock!”

 

John could hear kids screaming and yelling as he pounded away on Sherlock. He could feel a large pair of hands on his shoulders trying to pull him away. 

 

“John Watson!” an adult shouted. “Stop that!”

 

It was only then John realized what he had happened. Sherlock was lying on the ground crying loudly. A teacher tried to help him to his feet. He let out a loud cry as she tried to lift his damaged body. She quickly abandoned trying to pick him up. It was clear the boy was in serious pain.

 

"Come on Mr. Watson," the teacher said. "March right up to the Headmaster's office."

 

John nodded and headed up the Headmaster's office. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too hard on him. He had acted in self-defense after all. 


	4. Chapter 4

Headmaster Lestrade stared down at him as John sat down in front of him. The teenager felt a wave of guilt overtake him. He had never gotten in trouble at school before. His mother was going to be so disappointed in him.

 

“What happened?” Lestrade asked.

 

“Sherlock’s been messing with me since I got here,” John explained. “I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

 

“Messing with you?” he asked raising an eyebrow. “How so?”

 

John was starting to relax as the Headmaster talked. He didn’t seem angry with him. Maybe he would be understanding after all.

 

“He’s been bullying me,” John said. “He calls me names and pushes me around.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Lestrade asked.

 

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “I guess...I guess thought telling on him would make things worse.”

 

“I see,” the Headmaster said. “Well, I will be dealing with Sherlock. He’s no stranger to my office. I do have to punish you, John. I understand you will acting in self-defense but it seems you got a bit carried away.”

 

“I know,” he said with a sigh. “Am I getting suspended?”

 

“I think public service might be a better fit,” Lestrade said standing up from his desk. “We have a program called “Freshen” that helps with the local community. In this case, I think I will make you spend two Saturdays with them.”

 

“What’s going to happen to Sherlock?” John asked.

 

“I will have to speak to his mother about his behavior,” Lestrade said reaching into a file cabinet. “I think the boy has deeper issues that need to be addressed. Perhaps it would be best not to allow him to return. He has a history with bullying other children.”

 

John frowned and shook his head. Should he tell Headmaster about Sherlock’s suspected drug use? Maybe he just needed help with that.

 

“You don’t think so?” Lestrade asked seeing the worried look on the boy’s face.

 

“I think you should give him another chance,” John said. “I mean...I’m to blame for this mess too. I’m the one who got violent.”

 

Lestrade looked thoughtfully at the young boy. Clearly, he was holding something back. He knew something that he wasn’t willing to tell.

 

“Alright,” he said removing a paper from the file cabinet. “But if he gives you any trouble tell me right away.”

 

“I will,” John promised as the Headmaster sat back down at his desk.

 

“Here is what you need to know about the group,” he said, “Of course, I’m going to have to call your parents.”

 

John felt sick to his stomach at the thought of his mother finding out he’d gotten into a fight. He doubted that his father would say much about it. Mr. Watson pretty much spent more of his time working and if he wasn’t working he was sitting in front of the television drinking beer.

 

“I’ll make sure they understand you were acting in self-defense,” Lestrade said. “Now, I need you to check in with your teachers and head to the detention room for the rest of the day.”

 

The teenager nodded as he took the paper from the Headmaster. He knew he was getting a very light punishment and should be grateful.

_

 

John’s parents were pretty understanding about what had happened. His mother had sat him down and explained that he needed to tell her if anything like that happened again. His mother had forced him to help more with chores for the next few weeks because she still felt he had gotten out of hand.

 

For the next week, John and Sherlock seemed to be the only thing their classmates talked about. Apparently, a lot of kids didn’t like Sherlock because of his smart mouth and were grateful that John had put him in his place. He didn’t brag about it but he was enjoying the warm way people were treating him.

 

John wanted to talk to Sherlock about what had happened. He wanted him to know he didn’t have any bad feelings about what happened and hoped they could move on. Maybe even be friends. After a week Sherlock still hadn’t returned. He was starting to get worried about the amount of damage he had done to him. He had no way to find out how badly he had hurt him.

 

Victor. John needed to find him. He seemed to be the friend Sherlock had.

 

John decided to wait by the pickup area and see if Victor was there waiting. Through the crowds, he spotted Victor walking towards a black car.

 

“Victor!” he shouted running towards him.

 

The young boy turned his head towards the voice that was calling him. His eyes widened with fear at the sight of him. Maybe he thought John was coming after him next.

 

“I didn’t tell Sherlock to do any of that,” he cried. “I didn’t want him to bother you.”

 

“I figured as much,” John said as he reached his side. “Don’t worry. I don’t have any problems with you.”

 

“Thanks, John,” Victor said with a relieved sigh.

 

“How is Sherlock doing?” John asked. “I was starting to get worried when he didn’t come back.”

 

“He’s pretty sore,” he said with a shrug. “He had a broken cheekbone and rib. I don’t know when he’s coming back.”

 

Sherlock had broken bones?

 

That made John feel pretty guilty about getting off so lightly. He should have gotten in a lot more trouble.

 

“Can I have his mobile number or something?” John asked. “I really want to tell him that I’m sorry for getting carried away.”

 

“I’m actually going to see him actually,” Victor said pointing to the car he was headed to. “I need to take him his homework.”

 

“He wouldn’t mind?” John asked.

 

John didn’t want to him Sherlock angry by just showing up at his house. It felt a little weird just showing up at someone’s house.

 

“He’ll be ok with it if I bring you,” Victor said.

 

John decided to trust Victor about this. After all, he hadn’t done anything bad to him before. He followed the kid to the car. The two them climbed into the backseat. The driver looked over his shoulder at Victory and glanced at John.

 

“Ah, a friend I see,” he said. “Are we you still headed to Sherlock’s home?”

 

“Yes,” Victor said nodding. “This is John. John this is my daytime driver Gladstone”

 

John couldn’t believe this. A driver? Did he say “day” driver? Did he have a “night” driver? The whole concept seemed so strange. It must be pretty expensive to have two private drivers.

 

“What do your parents do?” John asked before he could stop himself.

 

Victor looked at him with a surprised look and John mentally kicked himself. Why did he have to ask such a stupid question? Asking those kinds of questions had to make him seem like a poor kid.

 

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “You don’t have to answer that.”

 

“‘It’s ok,” Victor said smiling at him. “My Dad deals in stocks and art. My Mom owns a line of makeup.”

 

“Wow,” John said starting to feel ashamed of his own parents.

 

His own mother cleaned a hotel at night and his father waited tables at a restaurant. They had a small flat that was nice but nothing too fancy.

 

“Our school is pretty expensive,” Vic said. “I just assumed your family had money too.”

 

“I got a scholarship,” John explained.

 

“That’s cool,” Victor said. “That must mean you're really smart.”

 

“I guess,” John said with a shrug. “I did really good on my exams last year.”

 

“I hate tests,” the other boy said. “I just panic whenever I see one.”

 

John smiled and nodded. He could relate to that. It had taken him a while to get over his test issues. Maybe there was a chance the two of them could be friends.

 

__

 

Sherlock groaned as he adjusted his body on the pool float. He'd be been lounging on the long float most of the morning. He loved to swim and hated the fact he was too sore to enjoy the water. Despite the fact the pool was fully enclosed in his house he lay with a pair of sunglasses on his face and his head resting on the pillow of the float.

 

His mother had been very upset when she heard what had happened. At first, she’d been angry with John and wanted him expelled. Sherlock wasn’t going to allow that. He quickly told her the truth about what had been happening. Mrs. Holmes was disgusted at her son’s behavior. As soon as they got home from the hospital she had taken his Xbox One and PlayStation 4 out of his room. The items would only be returned once he had apologized to John.

 

Secretly, Sherlock was glad John was so rough on him. His mother could be a very tough disciplinarian. A few months ago she had caught him with a pack of cigarettes. He could still remember the sting of her hairbrush over his backside. His physical injuries prevented her from doing it again. 

 

Apologizing was something Sherlock wanted to do. He knew he’d been horrible to John wanted to make things better. John had actually seemed concerned about him and he had harassed him. Maybe they could have been friends. Could they still be friends?

 

Sherlock didn’t think so. Why would anyone want to be friends with someone who had been so cruel to them? He had sat down and tried to write an apology letter several times but he kept throwing it away. Nothing he wrote seemed right.

 

He would be returning to school in a few days and he really wasn’t looking forward to it. Everyone had seen him get his butt kicked. How was he supposed to go to school and face everyone?

 

Victor was the only friend he had in this world. Maybe that was because he was such a miserable person.

 

Even Victor was getting short with him. He had brought Sherlock his homework every day and he hadn’t been very grateful. His friend had even gone to his dealer to get his Xanax. He knew Sherlock would get sick if he didn’t have it. Sherlock was pretty doped up on pain medicine but didn’t really want to risk it.

 

Sherlock’s mother had stayed home with him most of the week to make sure he wasn’t in too much pain and didn’t hurt himself by accident.

 

She had stepped out a few hours ago to do a “little” shopping. She promised that she wouldn’t be gone long but Sherlock knew she wouldn’t be back until dinner time.

 

Sherlock grunt removing his sunglasses from his face. He knew Victor would be there with his homework pretty soon He needed a cigarette before his friend showed up. Victor always frowned at him and urged him to quit smoking. It was really starting to get annoying.

 

He folded up the pair of sunglasses and tucking them over the neck of his shirt. He stuck his hand in the hand in the warm water and gently pushed his float to the end of the pool. With a painful grunt, he climbed out of the pool.

 

Moving was starting to feel better but it still hurt. Sherlock picked up the float and grunted it as he put it on the drying rack with the others. He walked out of the pool room and headed up towards his bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

John couldn’t believe the size of the house they pulled up in front of it. It was a large Victorian home surrounded by a thick iron fence. When the pulled up to the gate Victor had to roll down his window and put a code in a box by the grate. There was a loud beep as the gates opened wide.

 

He was doing his best not to look too amazed about the display of wealth. If John looked like was impressed by the wealth Sherlock and Victor might make fun of him. After all, he was dirt poor compared to them. 

 

“Mr. Holmes is never around,” Victor explained as if he could read John’s thoughts. “He spends most of his time overseas dealing in diamonds and gold.”

 

“He isn’t around?” John asked surprised by that statement. 

 

His own father had issues and was a bit distant but at least he was around. Mr. Watson wanted the best for him and was really proud he had gotten into such a fancy school. It must have been hard for Sherlock to grow up without having his dad around. John couldn't imagine not having his parents around. 

 

“It’s pretty common with people I know,” Victor said as the car came to a halt in front of the house. “My parents aren’t around much. I see my housekeeper more than my parents.” 

 

As they climbed out of the car John made sure to send his mother a quick text to let her know where he was. She’d be happy to know he was going to see Sherlock. While she knew Sherlock had acted out of line she wanted them to talk it over.

 

He wasn’t sure that Sherlock would want to be friends with him but he did want to talk it over. 

 

\--

 

Sherlock sat by the open window in his room with a cigarette in his hand. He could see down into the front courtyard from the window. He wasn’t surprised to see Victor’s car pull up. His best friend almost never left his side. His heart jumped when he saw his friend wasn’t alone.

 

John was climbing out of the black car. What the hell was he was doing there? Why would Victor bring him to his house? 

 

The fourteen-year-old quickly dropped his nearly finished cigarette into the jar into his hands. He could still get a few puffs out of it but he didn’t care about that. The sight of John sent pure panic through him. He was still very sore from his last encounter with John.

 

He tried to calm himself down. Victor wouldn’t bring him there if he thought John was going to hurt him. 

 

“Sherlock!” Victor’s voice filled the air as soon as he stepped inside the house.

 

Should he ignore them and pretend he wasn’t home? No. That wouldn’t do any good. Victor would make sure to check his room in case he was sleeping. 

 

The injured boy drug himself to his feet and walked over to his bedroom door. If John was there to start something with him then he needed to face him. After all, he had asked for what had happened. He was to blame for what happened.

 

“In my room!” Sherlock called sticking his head out of his bedroom.

 

Sherlock’s room wasn’t too far from the front door. He knew John and Victor could hear him. His eyes were fixated on the stairs to the first floor. After only a moment the two teenagers appeared on the landing. 

 

“How are you feeling?” Victor questioned. 

 

“Alright,” he answered glancing at John.

 

“Don’t worry,” John said quickly seeing the nervousness in Sherlock’s eyes. “I’m here to apologize.”

 

“Apologize?” the younger boy asked completely surprised by his statement.

 

Apologize? What did John need to apologize for?  

 

“I’m going to get a soda,” Victor said turning back towards the stairs. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

 

“Come on in,” Sherlock said nodding towards his room. “I need to sit down.”

 

John followed him into the large bedroom. He took his time dropping his backpack down by the door. He had no idea where to start or what he was going to say. Sherlock let out a grunt of a pain as he sat down on his bed.

 

“Are you hurting really bad?” John asked as the guilty worsened. 

 

“Eh,” he said with shrug. “They gave me painkillers.”

 

“I’m sorry about what I did,” the older boy said.”I got completely out of hand.”

 

“I’m the one who should be saying sorry,” Sherlock said frowning. “I shouldn’t have bullied you as I did. I’m the one who got out of hand.”

 

“Why did you do it?” John asked sitting down on the bed next to him.

 

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. 

 

Could Sherlock tell him why he had chosen him? What would John think if he told him he was jealous of the loving relationship he had with his mother? He would sound like an idiot. 

 

“Did you get in much trouble?” John asked when he realized Sherlock wasn’t going to say anymore.

 

“My Mum blew up,” he admitted it. “I’m actually glad you were so rough of me. If I hadn’t been in so much pain she would beat my arse.”

 

John laughed at that. His own mother hadn’t spanked him in years but if he got in trouble for bullying she would do it again. 

 

“You know,” John started. “If you want we can start over.”

 

“Start over?” he questioned.

 

“Yea,” the other boy said nodding. “Let’s just pretend this whole bullying thing next happened and start over.”

 

“Ok,” Sherlock stated giving him a little smile. “Let me take a pain pill and I’ll show you around the house.”

 

John nodded as he watched Sherlock get up and head into his bathroom. He really hoped they could be a friend and he could figure out why Sherlock had started bullying him in the first place. Clearly, he had some problems he needed help with. 


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks very interesting and exciting. John wasn’t sure how to feel about his new friends. Victor was a pretty open guy that enjoyed spending time with him. He didn’t seem to mind sharing his friend. In fact, he openly welcomed him into their small group of friends. 

 

John thought victor was Sherlock’s only friend. He quickly learned they had a female friend named Molly. Well, “friend” might be a strong word. Victor seemed to really like her but Sherlock couldn’t seem to care less. She was the daughter of a family friend and spent a large amount of time at Sherlock’s house. It was very clear to John that Molly was head over heels for Sherlock. She spent most of her time worrying over her injured friend. He doubted the young boy even noticed that she had feelings for him. 

 

Sherlock was a bit harder to figure out. Sometimes the younger boy would be interactive during their visits. They spend a lot of time swimming and playing video games. Other times Sherlock would invite him over and not even talk to him. Then when John would make excuses and try to leave the boy would get upset. It was almost as if Sherlock wasn’t sure how to be a friend.

 

The only thing John didn’t like was Sherlock’s drug use. He had tried more than once to bring it up to him but Sherlock would just snap at him and tell him to mind his own business. He’d thought about speaking to Sherlock’s mother about it but decided that wasn’t the right way to do it. He would only be doing it for his friend’s own good but Sherlock wouldn’t see it that way. He would be angry at him and chances were he wouldn’t want to hang out him anymore. It didn’t seem worth it to lose his friend. 

 

Yet, John couldn’t stop himself from worrying. Most of the time he couldn’t even tell Sherlock was using drugs. It was Sherlock’s constantly running noise that was a dead give away that something was up. 

 

“Stop it,” Sherlock said as they headed up to his room.

 

They had been on their way to play video games when Sherlock had suddenly stopped walking. He turned around and began to glare at his older friend. 

 

“What?” John asked surprised by his friend’s sudden loss of temper. 

 

“Stop worrying about what I’m doing,” he snapped. “I’m adult enough to make my own decisions.”

 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, John found himself letting out a laugh. Sherlock was only fourteen. He was still a child. Hell, John was sixteen and he was still a child in a lot of ways. Sherlock began to look even angrier when he laughed. 

 

“I’m sorry,” John said getting ahold of himself. “I didn’t mean anything by it. You aren’t an adult. I’m not even an adult and I’m older than you. Look, you’re my friend. I have a right to worry.”

 

His words caused Sherlock’s hard look to soften a bit. He knew John was worried about him. Victor was worried as well. He had been begging Sherlock to go to his mother about his “problem” for months. He had started abusing the pills when he was thirteen and he hid it from Victor for a few months. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hide it forever. One day his parents would find out. The thought of that sent a shiver up his spine. He had no idea how his father would react but he knew his mother would be very unhappy. 

 

“I’ve been doing it for a year,” Sherlock explained. “I clearly have it uncontrol. Give it a break. You’re almost as annoying as Molly.”

 

Sherlock turned and walked into his bedroom. 

 

“Does she know?” John questioned.

 

“No,” Sherlock said turning on his telly and Xbox. “If Molly knew she’d run right to my Mum. She’s really against drugs.”

 

“She likes you,” John said sitting down in front of the telly. 

 

“I know,” the boy said with a snort. “I’ve been trying to get Victor to ask her out so that she’ll leave me alone.”

 

“Have you had a girlfriend before?” John questioned.

 

Sherlock suddenly froze and his eyes went a bit wide. John suddenly regretted the question. Whenever John had mentioned girls he thought were cute at school Sherlock would always get uneasy and change the subject. At first, he had thought it was because he was younger but he was starting to think it was for other reasons.  

 

“No,” Sherlock said quickly sitting down. “I haven’t had a girlfriend before.”

 

The younger boy wasn’t sure his sexuality was a subject he wanted to bring up. Once he became a teenager he started to notice he wasn’t that interested in girls. He started to think Victor was rather attractive. Did that make him gay? He had never brought the subject up with anyone. What would John and Victor think of him if he told them?

 

John frowned as he picked up his controller. He had clearly made Sherlock uncomfortable and that hadn’t been his goal. It would be best to drop the whole thing. 

 

“Sorry,” he said as Sherlock started up Minecraft. “I was just curious.”

 

“I’m...I’m not sure girls are my thing,” Sherlock admitted.

 

Oh. That was what John suspected. Of course, that didn’t bother him at all. Sherlock’s sexual preference wasn’t really his business. 

 

“It’s ok to be gay you know,” John said. “You don’t have to be ashamed of it.”

 

“I know it’s ok,” Sherlock said glancing at him. 

 

“Cool,” John said unsure of what to say next. 

 

Perhaps it was best to just move on play video games. Sherlock gave him a little smile before loading up a saved game. 


End file.
